Napoli was an integral part of Boston's championship run in 2013, hitting .259 with a .360 on-base percentage. He slugged 23 home runs and drove in 92 runs. He hit two crucial home runs in the American League Championship Series, and his three-run double in the first inning of Game One of the World Series set a strong tone for the Sox.

Furthermore, Napoli showed himself to be a more than adequate defender in his first full season at first base, meriting Gold Glove discussion late in the season. The hip condition that caused the Red Sox to downgrade their commitment to Napoli last offseason from three years to one was not a problem in 2013.

Napoli fills Boston's two glaring weaknesses before the winter meetings. The Red Sox needed both a first baseman and a right-handed, middle-of-the-order bat behind David Ortiz. With Napoli back onboard, Boston should be able to concentrate on more complementary pieces in Orlando next week and for the rest of the winter.

Limiting the commitment with Napoli to two years follows the same strategy the Red Sox employed last season, paying a little more in the average annual value of a deal rather than going longer term. It turns out that the revelation of Napoli's hip condition, which delayed his signing by 50 days and took away $34 million of guaranteed money, worked in the first baseman's favor in the end. Instead of the three-year, $39 million deal he initially agreed to last year, he'll earn $45 million over three years.